Ms. Stephanie

ABOUT the INSTRUCTOR

Stephanie Rihn, Certified ISR Instructor

Hi, I am Stephanie Rihn. I live in Castroville, Texas with my husband, Maurice. My husband is retired from his construction business and I am retired from my career as a registered nurse. We have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. One of our favorite things is spending time with our family. I was introduced to ISR Self-Rescue lessons when my grandson was a student. At the suggestion of my daughter, I watched one of my grandson's lessons and was so impressed with the skills he had learned at only 2 years old. He could swim and float to breath all on his own. I immediately realized that I wanted to teach these valuable skills to little ones to keep them safe.

I am now starting my 7th year teaching ISR and have taught hundreds of students including my four youngest grandchildren. I am very honored to serve my community by helping children become problem-solvers in the water so that "Not One More Child Drowns".

FAQs

Can’t babies swim naturally?

Unfortunately, babies cannot naturally swim. If this were the case, there wouldn’t be so many drownings every year. According to the Center for Disease Control and Accident Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4 in the United States.

I hear you say your priority is survival skills. Will my child learn to actually swim?

Yes. At ISR, we believe that part of survival for a child who can walk is swimming. Children learn the swim-float-swim sequence so that they could get themselves to safety. The difference in our program is that they will learn swimming AND survival skills and how to be an aquatic problem solver.

Why don’t parents participate in the water during the lessons?

We do not want the baby to initially associate the water with the love, attention, and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, it takes incredible concentration and objectivity to teach the baby how to respond to an aquatic emergency and our experience shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water. We gladly invite parents to join us in the pool once their child has independent skills to practice at home.

Why do you have the children swim in clothes?

Because 86% of children who fall in the water do so fully clothed, we want our students to have experience with such a situation. If a child has experienced the sensations of being in the water in clothing prior to an emergency situation, he/she is less likely to experience panic and be able to focus on the task at hand. If you have ever jumped in the water with clothes on, then you know that there is a significant difference in weight and feel with clothes as opposed to a bathing suit.

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